Her Charming Secret

by Sam Ayers

  “Good morning, darling,” she murmured and hugged him; he hugged her back tightly.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” he whispered as he placed a soft kiss on her crown. “It’s Aubrey’s birthday. Wake up, let’s go wish her.”

  “Nick, she isn’t here; sleepover at Aiden’s place, remember?” She giggled.

  He had forgotten all about the sleepover. He was glad that the kids were having fun, but why did Pierre go with them? He was just trying to annoy him; Nicholas hoped that Pierre wouldn’t show off again by buying some expensive yet useless present. He bought Ashton a house in France for his last birthday, but didn’t realize that he was still in high school and uninterested in moving abroad.

  “Darling, what’s wrong?” Lynn’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Nick, I think you should pick her up, she must be asleep.”

  “I hope Pierre behaves; I don’t want him to do something ridiculous and destroy my baby’s birthday.” He sighed.

  “Nick please, why are you making it harder than it already is?” Adelynn sighed and sat up. “Papa is trying his best to make everyone happy.”

  Lynn got up and walked away without a second glance. Nicholas knew it wasn’t a great start that morning, so he got up, too, and went to change his clothes. He waited for Adelynn to come out, but seeing that she was trying to get some time alone, he walked out with his jacket and car keys. Aiden had given them the spare keys to his home for emergencies. Nicholas wasn’t sure if the kids would be up, but he had to check on them. He parked his car outside and noticed that Alex’s car was parked next to Aiden. So he’s here too?

  He walked in to see Alex sleeping on the couch, slipping off slowly. Nicholas realized that even if he fell down, he wouldn’t get hurt because he would land on Ashton, who was sleeping right next to the couch in a sleeping bag. They both looked exhausted, which was enough for Nicholas to understand that they had had a blast last night. He heard a loud noise and slowly moved towards the guest room. From the room came a loud snore, making him jump; he was pretty sure that the old man was in that room. He walked backwards and started walking towards the other room. The house was a little dark, and it was as good as seeing a ghost because his father-in-law’s snores were that horrible.

  He sighed as he slowly opened the door and walked in to Aiden’s room. His kids were fast asleep. Sitting next to Aubrey, he placed a soft kiss on her brow and she stirred a little. Aiden woke up and ran his hand through his hair as he blinked at him, reminding Nicholas of his lovely Adelynn. Aiden was just like his mother, but Adele had taken after Nick. He smiled at the thought of his daughter who was very excited at organizing Aubrey’s birthday party.

  “Dad?” Aiden’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

  “Good morning! I’m here to take Aubrey back home,” he said and lifted her up. She just stirred before curling up in his arms with a small sigh, completely unaware of the world.

  “What did she eat last night?” Nick asked curiously. Aiden, who was moving towards the bathroom, turned to look at him.

  “Just some candies and other sweet stuff Alex bought for her,” he said as he walked in. “Grandpa ate the candies too. Wait for me.”

  Nicholas picked her up and walked towards the living room, where Alex and Ashton were still asleep. Aiden came out carrying Aubrey’s bag; he placed it near the door and walked towards his room again, coming back with some sticky notes this time. Nick raised his eyebrow. What’s the kid up to now?

  “One minute, Dad. I’m just going to write down a message for Alex,” he said and wrote something on the sticky note before placing it on the refrigerator. Nick walked towards it and read the note.

  No milk, so no coffee . . . unless you want to drink black coffee.

  Nick chuckled as he saw him sticking one on the door of the guest room.

  Grandpa is in, and he’s still snoring. Please don’t forget him.

  The last note was on Ashton’s sleeping bag.

  My poor brother had to sleep here because of you, so you better not forget him either. Dad came by and I’m going home with him, so see you later! And remember, NO MILK!

  “No milk, huh?” Nicholas grinned. Aiden just nodded and snickered.

  “They made some kind of milkshake; it was crazy last night; Grandpa was out of control,” Aiden explained. “But they are alright now; is she heavy?” he asked, looking at Aubrey. “Want me to carry her?”

  “No, it’s fine, Son. Just grab her bag and let’s go,” Nicholas said, walking out of the house. Aiden opened the door and Aubrey stirred a little.

  “Princess, please sit here,” he said as she sat down and fell asleep again. Aiden got into the passenger seat and looked at Aubrey for one last time before closing the door. As he was driving back home, Nicholas thought back to the day Aubrey was born. He had been in London, in a crucial meeting that he couldn’t miss.

  Their baby was born a week before the date that was given by the doctor. Danielle and Pierre were there to help Lynn, and Danielle was doing a grand job taking care of the kids. Pierre was nowhere to be seen when Nicholas reached the hospital. Reaching the room where Adelynn and his baby were, he opened the door to see the most perfect sight. Adele came running towards him and hugged him tightly. He hugged his daughter back as he saw Ashton sitting next to Danielle; they were lost in a deep conversation. Adele pulled him towards Lynn.

  “Daddy, come meet her. She’s so cute,” Adele spoke softly.

  Adelynn looked beautiful as she held their little angel in her arms; she looked up and smiled. His heart stopped the minute he saw her. This was perfect, today his family was complete, their family – Adelynn and his family.

  “Congratulations, Nicholas! She is so adorable,” Danielle said as she hugged him.

  “Yeah, she sure is,” he said, looking at Lynn. He noticed that the baby wasn’t looking at him or Lynn. She was just staring at Aiden, who sat next to the bed. Aiden had the same look in his eyes, a deep affection and a unique connection between them. As Aiden held the baby’s hand, he was smiling at her.

  “Nicholas, I’m going to take the kids out; they haven’t eaten anything yet,” Danielle said. “Why don’t you spend some time with your daughter?”

  Danielle walked out with Ashton and Adele. When Aiden didn’t move an inch, Nick raised his eyebrow. He knew that Aiden was already attached to the baby, but he needed to spend some time with her too. He pointed his finger towards the door. Aiden understood what his dad meant and kissed the baby’s hand and walked away.

  “Darling, why did you do that?” Lynn asked him softly as Aiden left the room.

  “Because it’s my turn to spend time with my lovely wife and our daughter,” he said as he kissed her. “She’s adorable.” Their baby really was adorable; it was like seeing baby Aiden again.

  “She looks like you, Nick. But Mum told me that she looks more like Aiden – the same hair,” Lynn giggled. “Papa said she looks like him.”

  “What? Is he serious? By the way, where is your father?”

  “He said he was starving and left,” she said calmly. “I think he must be at some café. Nick, we haven’t thought of a name yet. What should we call her?”

  Lynn placed the little one in his arms. She looked at him with wide eyes, staring at him curiously. He couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw her; she was just like Aiden.

  “I’m not sure, love, I can’t think of any names now.” He sighed, looking at Lynn. She was touching their baby’s cheek. “Seeing as the names of her siblings start with an ‘A’, why not choose something similar?”

  “Aiden suggested something,” she murmured. “Aubrey.”

  “Aubrey? Well, that’s a lovely name,” he smiled as he kissed the baby’s brow. “Hello, Aubrey, I’m your daddy.”

  He saw a tiny smile on her face; she had finally recognized him. Adelynn loved that name, too, so they decided to tell their kids that they chose Aubrey as Aiden suggested. Baby Aubrey yawned before closing her eyes.

  “She mu
st be sleepy,” Lynn said. He nodded as he placed her in the bassinet. He walked towards the bed and sat next to Lynn.

  “I hate it when the kids grow up. Look at Adele; I still remember taking that happy baby in my arms and she gave me her perfect smile, and now she’s all grown up,” he sighed.

  “Nick, you still have Aubrey to play with. Maybe in another ten years you might say that again,” Lynn said as she cupped his face.

  “Ten years, huh?” He pulled her towards him and kissed her. She kissed him back with equal passion. Another ten years were something he could easily handle. And with his lovely wife and their kids, he knew that his life was going to be exciting. He smiled and continued where he had left.

  He was right. Ten adventurous years they were. What with his kids growing up and facing all sorts of troubles, it wasn’t as good as he expected it to be. Looking at Aiden, he realized that he’d faced a lot while he was just a teenager. Losing his memories and forgetting all about his sister’s birth had caused him lot of pain. He remembered that Aiden mentioned a girl once, a girl who was part of his memory, but he couldn’t remember her. Two good things that happened were that Alex understood his responsibilities and Adele found her true love – which wasn’t all that exciting for Nicholas, as his daughter was growing up.

  “Dad, is Adele home? We need to go get the cake; you know Mom is making a Princess-themed cake?” Aiden smiled.

  “Yeah, Lynn told me about the cake,” Nicholas said. The birthday party was planned out almost a month ago. He was pretty sure that Aubrey would love the surprise they got for her. “And yes, Adele’s at home.”

  When they reached home, Aiden took Aubrey in his arms and started walking towards the door; Nicholas parked the car and took her bag with him. Adele opened the door and rushed to hug him, almost pushing poor Aiden aside.

  “Dad, where did you go?” she asked curiously. He hugged her back and placed a soft kiss on her temple as they walked inside.

  “I had to pick Aubrey up, Princess,” he explained. She nodded and smiled at him. He walked upstairs searching for Lynn, but he couldn’t find her. He really wanted to speak to her to clear the misunderstanding between them and apologize for that morning. Nick watched Adele and Aiden getting ready to go to the Patisserie to get the cake. Aiden seemed to be excited for some reason and Adele was grinning like a Cheshire cat. He knew that instant that the twins were up to something, as usual, but without Alex there, it was hard to imagine what their wonderful plan could be.

  Seeing that he wouldn’t be needed for few hours, he walked into his study to do some work. He said bye to the twins and started checking the files of the current project that Aiden and Alex managed to successfully complete in Japan.

  Aiden was telling Adele all about last night, including the adventures they had, and she couldn’t help but laugh. It was so funny, and she felt bad because she had decided to stay home to talk to her dad. They were not just picking up the cake but also a very special present for Aubrey. Aiden called a month ago telling her that he thought Aubrey was very lonely, so they decided to get her something that would keep her company. He wanted to get her a puppy. After literally begging their mother, they managed to get a yes and went puppy shopping; it was like a small secret. Nicholas, Ashton and Alex had no clue about this, so first they stopped at the patisserie and managed to get that cake inside the car with Aiden’s help. Adelynn sat next to it, holding it in place.

  “It’s beautiful, Mom! Aubrey’s going to love it,” Adele said when she saw the cake. It was a three-layered cake and looked like a huge house with lots of girly, princess-y stuff. There were two small people standing in the backyard, and she realized that it was a mini Aiden holding little Aubrey’s hand. She was there next to Ash near the door. Nick and Lynn were there, too, and there was something weird hanging from the roof. According to Aiden, it was Alex trying to act like Superman. It was just so perfect. She knew that the cake would have been very hard to make, but it looked lovely.

  They dropped Lynn at home, put the cake in the refrigerator and moved on to get the puppy from Alex’s friend, Matt’s place. They got him three days ago from a well-known breeder who was Matt’s friend. As they couldn’t take the little one home right away, Matt offered to take care of him for a while. They reached Matt’s home and as the door opened, the puppy came running towards them and jumped on Aiden, knocking him down. He licked Aiden’s face and Adele knew that Aid had just found another Aubrey.

  “Adorable, isn’t he?” Matt asked her as he picked up the pup in his hands. “What are you going to name him?”

  Aiden had wanted a child-friendly dog. Adele thought he would get a poodle, but he ended up getting a lovely Golden Retriever puppy. He kept saying that they were trustworthy, friendly, kind, intelligent and reliable. But no one besides her knew the real reason. Aiden once had a puppy named Fluffy when they were kids but, unfortunately, the pup didn’t live long. It was a major heartbreak for Aid, and he buried Fluffy near the garden. Sometimes she saw him sitting near Fluffy’s grave. Pushing her thoughts away, Adele stared at Matt, who was talking to the pup as if he understood everything.

  “I don’t know, Matt. Aubrey can choose a good name,” Aiden replied as he took the puppy from him. “It’s time for you to go home, champ. You will love your new friend,” he said to the pup.

  They thanked Matt for looking after the puppy and mostly because he kept it a secret from Alex. Saying goodbye they took the puppy home. Adele had to hold him tightly in her arms as he kept jumping. By the time they got home Aubrey was awake. Alex’s car was also parked in the driveway. So the whole gang was here already. It was going to be hard to sneak in with the puppy so Adele went inside while Aiden was going to go in from the backdoor and they slowly managed to distract everyone and take the puppy upstairs.

  When Adele walked up towards her room where they had already hidden a basket for the puppy, Aiden called her.

  “Ady, look . . . he fell asleep,” Aiden grinned. He looked absolutely cute. Aiden placed the small basket near the bed and they walked outside. There was still time for the party and they had to do few last minute arrangements.

  The cake was hidden, so Aubrey had no clue about it; she was busy talking to Aiden about her new teacher, who had said that a happy family was a loving family. So there she sat on his lap, explaining all about the happy family. Alex looked like he needed sleep, and as for poor Ashton, he looked as if someone scared the hell out of him.

  “That bull woke me up,” he said as he sat next to Adele. “The bull called Alex. He shook my sleeping bag, tried to lift it and put me down again before throwing all those candies on top of me. Chase him away, Ady.”

  “Shut up, you moron,” Alex retaliated. “You were sleeping like a log, and that was the only darn way to wake you up.” As they fought about the sleeping and waking up thing, Adele saw her grandfather giving her grandmother a rose. Wait, isn’t that from Mom’s garden? Adele thought.

  “Fur you, mi darlingz,” he said as he pulled her towards him and they started dancing. She shook her head realizing that her family was officially crazy. Nick and Lynn were chatting in the kitchen, although it looked more like they were guarding the cake. Suddenly the doorbell rang; she glared at Ashton as she thought he mentioned the wrong time on the invites, but when Ash opened the door, William came in with a huge smile.

  “Happy Birthday, sweetheart!” he said and hugged Aubrey.

  “Thank you, Uncle Will!” She smiled and hugged him back. He moved towards the kitchen to talk to their parents after saying hi to them. Two hours later, all the guests started coming, and, to Adele’s surprise, Gabriel walked in. He went over to Aubrey, who hugged him tightly, and stood there talking to Aiden. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk to her so she stayed next to Alex. He was like her personal talisman that kept Gabe at a distance. But Gabe came over to them and said hi to Alex, which was surprising; Alex replied politely. Gabriel hugged Adele and pulled her to the corner of the room. She had no idea
what he wanted to talk about, so she stayed still.

  “I got her an iPod,” he said out of the blue.

  “What?” Adele knew she sounded crazy but he knew her well enough to know she wasn’t.

  “An iPod Touch. Is that okay? Aiden has a similar one, so I thought she would love to have one too,” Gabe explained.

  “No, Aiden has an iPhone, Gabe.” Okay, wait, she was officially crazy. Her fiancé had just bought her baby sister an iPod and she was thinking about the phone her brother had. He shook his head and pulled her into an embrace. Again she stayed still, but finally she gave up by wrapping her arms around him. The party started when Alex and Ashton started screaming about a Princess Castle. That was when they realized that they had made a mini castle for Aubrey, which they had kept in the backyard. Gosh! They worked together to make that? Adele thought. It was beautiful and Aubrey could easily go in, but got upset when she pulled Aiden in with her and poor Aid didn’t fit.

  “I like it,” Aubrey declared. Looking at Alex and Ashton she said, “I love you both, but I love my Aidey more.”

  Ashton just shook his head, a little annoyed, but Alex didn’t seem to mind. They already knew that Aubrey would love Aiden’s present even if it weren’t all that special.

  Nicholas brought the cake out with William’s help. By the look on everyone’s face, Adele knew that they loved it. Gabe whispered that he wanted something similar for their wedding. A Princess cake for their wedding; she laughed at the thought. Yet again, Aiden surprised everyone by playing the birthday tune on the piano, and Adele joined him. Aubrey cut the huge cake with her dad’s help. It was time for the presents; everyone had bought something good, but Adele knew the present Aiden had chosen would be the best. Gabe gave Aubrey the iPod and she said she loved it because Aiden had something similar. Alex and Ashton had already given their present, and it was in the corner of the room. Alex seemed to be busy texting throughout the party, so they didn’t disturb him.